Restaurant Etiquette Tips of 1915

Don’t act like this! – “Eat slowly, act with refinement and remember that you are in a public place. The restaurant is indeed a great test of the true lady and gentleman.”

There should be no conspicuous conduct in a dining room of a hotel or a public restaurant. Do not talk or laugh in a loud tone. Do not dispute with the waiter. Do not look around at other guests in an impertinent manner. Eat slowly, act with refinement and remember that you are in a public place. The restaurant is indeed a great test of the true lady and gentleman. The end of the meal should be followed by your exit from the dining room. 

The lady precedes the gentleman on leaving the restaurant. At the door the gentleman will receive his hat, which has been taken from him on entering. Here, there is a call for a tip of 10 cents if it be a restaurant or a large hotel and if the stay is for just for one meal. There is much protest against this and the concerted action of men is doing much toward minimizing this “holdup.” –The Morning Union, 1915

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